So the original foam mailboxes we used for Buby's first Valentine's Day {and later for Bleu's} didn't survive our crazy attic this year. When I went to retrieve the holiday bin a few weeks ago I found them all smushed to smithereens. The cheap materials simply refused reshaping. And the look on Buby's face when I came down those old attic steps... ugh. Heartbreaking.
It was a school day. We had a date to decorate the Love Tree at 3:15 pm sharp, and traditionally that's when our countdown to Valentine's Day begins and Buby starts checking the real mailbox for any correspondence from family or friends. He asked me if I would go to the craft store with Bleu--that day--and surprise him with a new mailbox at pickup.
I did, and I found the same foam ones on sale for $4.99 each. But I stopped just short of the register when I realized they wouldn't last a year, let alone the next 10. The whole point of these boxes was for Buby and Bleu to use them year after year... and for them to feel as special as the love notes they held all month.
I turned around and quick checked the unfinished wood section for real mailboxes the kids could decorate. They didn't have that, but I did spy two charming treasure boxes with little gold latches {awesome for those 3-dimensional valentines}. They were wide enough, deep enough, and--to my shock--just $4.99 each. I also bought a pair of hearts for 29 cents and an initial for each child.
Later in the day we dumped the bag on the playroom floor, and the kids gasped with joy before claiming their boxes at lightening speed. Buby was especially pumped. He painted his heart bright red and Bleu painted hers pink {at Buby's request}. Then My Sweets drilled mail slots into the top of each, and we were in business. I love the new mailboxes, and the best part is, they'll last.
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